Day 2: It *WAS* Good

Welcome to the 83rd issue of Pulpit to Pew Crew Newsletter, I'm your Captain, Brad McClure, and we are on a journey through the Bible in 2023.

Before I jump in, I want to give a warm welcome to several that recently signed up to receive the Pulpit to Pew Crew Newsletter. I'm honored to visit your inboxes each week.

One last quick note, notice this is titled "Day 2." I'm tracking the days of our reading, NOT the number of newsletters sent. So you haven't missed anything.

Okay...here we go...

DAY 2: Genesis 1-7

Here we are on day two of our journey, and, if you can imagine, I'm staring at my screen, scratching my head, thinking, OH BOY! 😧

Two days in, and like I promised, I'm dropping an anchor to discuss the journey. But, think for a moment about what I'm trying to cover. Let me give you a quick glance if you're not reading along with us.

• Genesis 1 - Creation
• Genesis 2 - Man and Woman
• Genesis 3 - The Fall of Mankind and Sins Curse
• Genesis 4 - Cain kills Abel
• Genesis 5 - Years of genealogies and death
• Genesis 6-7 Noah, the Ark, and the Flood

Hundreds of years and great doctrines, all in the first two days, could be covered in the first newsletter. 🤯

Of course, I can't cover everything, but we will drop an anchor and explore.  This newsletter and journey won't be a commentary. I'm sure it will take on different looks as I figure out what I'm doing, but my prayer is for you to better understand the Bible and enjoy reading it.

Alright, let's get started...

The Book of Genesis

On this journey, I want to give some context each time we land in a new book. First up, Genesis.

Here are some introductory comments on Genesis.

• Except for a few parts, it's understood that Moses wrote Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy.  You won't read about Moses until Exodus, and he probably didn't write about his death, but Moses wrote the majority under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
• Genesis means "beginnings."  In this book, we read of the beginning of the earth, the beginning of mankind, the beginning of sin, and the beginning of nations (especially the Jewish nation.)

My Brief Takeaway

We had a lot to cover in this first stop, so I'll try to keep this brief.

My reading of these opening chapters is coming just a few weeks after revisiting the Creation Museum. While there, we watched a 20-minute film about the days of creation. I can't tell you how many times I've heard about creation, but that film rocked me. In the film, the narrator (with a powerful voice, by the way) described each day of creation and then emphasized these words,

It was good.

In chapter one, those words are recorded six times, with the last time stating,

it was very good.

Then comes chapter 3. Sin breaks loose on mankind and the curse on the earth.

In chapter 4, the first family, once created in innocence, is shattered by murder.

Chapter 5 is nothing but genealogies but notice a theme–DEATH.  Continuously the Bible says,

and he died.

By the time we reach Chapter 6, hundreds of years have passed, and sin continues to abound to the point where God has had enough.

Judgment was coming, but God would offer hope to all who would believe. Judgment was coming as a flood, but hope would be found in an Ark.  

It was absolutely foolish, humanly speaking, to expect a global flood. Even more foolish to build a giant Ark.

But that's what we call Faith. Noah preached of a coming judgment and built an ark, but only his family climbed on board in the end.

Today we preach Jesus Christ. Some mock, some ignore, but one day, judgment is coming. So don't lose heart sharing the gospel with others.

Final Thought

Sin destroys. God's creation was very good, but when sin was allowed in, it wreaked havoc.

Nothing has changed. We must do everything we can to keep ourselves from getting caught up in sin. The consequences of sin span much further than ourselves.

What's Next?

Thursday, our journey moves to the podcast. Remember, we are reading the Bible CHRONOLOGICALLY. That means we will be in Job Thursday.

If that blows your mind, I'll explain more on the podcast.

Have a great week!

Brad

🎙 Last Week on the Podcast

Usually, at the end of the podcast, I'll share some ramblings. Usually, I ask you to subscribe and share, but every now and again, I'll share what's been on my mind.

Well, this week was an entire episode of rambling. In this episode, I look back on 2022 and look ahead to 2023.

I also share some books I read and some goals I accomplished.

If you're interested in listening, you can choose your podcast preference here.

If you want to invite a friend along with you on this journey, just forward them this email and then maybe send them a text of explanation.

We're just getting started!